The transcriptome of flower development provides insight into floral scent formation in Freesia hybrida

• Published in: Plant growth regulation Vol. 86; no. 1; pp. 93 - 104
• Main Authors: Huang, Minling, Fan, Ronghui, Ye, Xiuxian, Lin, Rongyan, Luo, Yuanhua, Fang, Nengyan, Zhong, Huaiqin, Chen, Shilin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.09.2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agriculture; Allelochemicals; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biosynthesis; Developmental stages; Flowers; Freesia; Gas chromatography; Gene expression; Gene sequencing; Genes; Life Sciences; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Molecular chains; Molecular modelling; Monoterpenes; Original Paper; Ornamental plants; Plant Anatomy/Development; Plant Physiology; Plant Sciences; Proteins; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; Sesquiterpenes; Systems analysis; Terpenes; Volatile compounds; Volatiles; Transcriptome sequencing; Monoterpenes; Secondary metabolism; Floral scent
• ISSN: 0167-6903; 1573-5087
• DOI: 10.1007/s10725-018-0413-5

Freesia hybrida is a popular cut flower that is globally cultivated. Despite fragrance being an important floral trait, little is known of its associated molecular mechanisms in F. hybrida . In this study, cDNA libraries were constructed for three floral developmental stages in F. hybrida . A total of 74,660 unigenes were obtained from RNA sequencing and de novo assembly, of which 72.20% were annotated by seven public protein databases. Approximately 12,420 differentially expressed genes were identified during flower development. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis detected a total of 34 floral volatile compounds, primarily volatile monoterpenes, which accounted for approximately 90% of the volatiles. Using a system analysis-based approach, 36 candidate genes related to volatile terpenes were identified, in which the majority of up-regulated genes associated with the biosynthesis of monoterpenes and the majority of down-regulated genes associated with the biosynthesis of sesquiterpenes. Of these, FhDXS2A, FhGPPs and FhTPSs were considered to be important in floral scent formation. This study provides an in-depth assessment of floral scent and a reference for the future molecular breeding of floral scent in ornamental plants.